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Radio-show troupe performs Feb. 17 at Oak Park Arms
Updated: February 10, 2013 12:09PM
Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, an all-volunteer radio reenactment group, will present “The New York Strip,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.
Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear will take the audience in for a closer look at the seedy underworld of New York City through the masterful slang and gangster style of characters inspired by the stories of author Damon Runyon.
The troupe is composed of Chicagoland actors who share an interest in performing old-time radio programs. Each actor and technician donates talent and time for free.
Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, founded the troupe. They established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in 2002, when Turlow’s father moved there, and have been volunteering and performing at The Arms ever since.
To prepare, the troupe browses through thousands of old time radio episodes. They pick a favorite and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed.
Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, and the group performs them live. They have a door for slamming, buzzers, doorbells, and a sound board and shoes for footsteps.
“Since the entire cast donates its time and energy, we can only do shows six times a year,” Dooley said, “but we strive to make sure that it’s well worth the wait.”
The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments.
The radio show is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040 or visit http://www.oakparkarms.com.
